Funny quote from Michael Moore's book

[jetexas]

That reminds me of the story from the mid 90's about the two Continental Express pilots.
They went to the Welfare office in uniform...and got fired ; (
Pretty ballsy. I wonder where they are now?
I'll always remember the time I non-reved next to a lady who was just so excited to talk to me about my career as an airline pilot. I was getting pretty tired of talking about it on that 4 hour flight. She said her daughter was a school teacher in her first year. I told her that would be a pay raise for me. The look on her face was priceless.

 

[slapstick]

I'd support "If you hate it, then leave it" right alongside "Love it and make it better". I'll support the latter, since i'm not about to give up.

 

[chawbein]

Michael Moore is a Fat, Stupid, B@st@rd

Michael Moore is a Fat, Stupid, B@st@rd. No offense to you regional pilots out there, but we live in a world dominated by economics. Would Moore feel more safe if he were paying $800 for that seat?? That is what it would cost to pay that pilot as much as Moore thinks he's worth. Why should an airline pay a pilot 50k a year if they can get someone else for 40k and so on and so on.... There are too many prospective pilots out there to keep salaries down. Oh yeah, don't forget that nobody wants to (personally) pay more than $300 for a ticket. Just remember that the airline is not in business to provide you with a high-paying job, but to make profits.

Back to Michael Moore.... Someone ought to kick his ass!!!!

 

[s.o.sJTB]

We have the responsbility to question our government and search for the truth in its policy's, our founding fathers would expect nothing less. I f we really are trying to stem the tide of communism, why do we continue to financially support the Chinese government with our trade policy?

"patriotism is the last refuge of a scroundel"
Voltaire

 

[cherokee]

Believe it or not, many people feel trade with China will open up their society and undermine communism and help our economy as well.
Oh.. and F#$K Voltaire.

 

[Timebuilder]

Actually, if we suspended trade with China, they would have far less exposure to the nature of western democracy in general, and our own representative republic in particular. The more they get to know us, the more they will become intolerant of the dictatorship under which they have lived.

The quote from Voltaire is very telling. Look at the Vichy government of France in WWII, after welcoming the Nazis. Not a patriot to be found. This is the country who harbored fugitive Ira Einhorn, who killed a friend and neighbor of mine, Holly Maddux.

Let them eat quiche.

 

[kilomike]

Well said, Timebuilder!!

I liked your paragraph about China. I believe strongly that if the people gain exposure to democracy and free enterprise they would want to get rid of Communism. Happened already in Eastern Europe. I spent some time in Poland before the Iron Curtain fell. The Solidarity movement was building momentum, and I predicted that Communism would end (in Poland and Russia) in 15 years based on what I saw. No, it ended there two years after I left Poland! It took an electrician, Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement to topple Communism. Unfortunately, it will take longer in China because there is no strong labor based movement to kick Communism in the a@@!! The average Pole hated Communism passionately.

Just because a man is a liberal does NOT make him a Communist! A true progressive supports free enterprise but also balances it with some programs to work with the poor and enable the elderly to have care and safety regulations etc.

 

[s.o.sJTB]

how much exposure do the people of china realy get to the ideals of our democracy? our trade policy with china is based on the ideals of corprate greed (the real threat to our democracy through the collapse of our economic integrity enron, worldcom...)

The people and the disidents of cuba seem to understand the ideals of democracy without the benefit of of favored nation trade policy.

 

[Timebuilder]

How much exposure do they get to our ideas?

Well, our church regularly sends missions teams to China. The Chinese are VERY much in tune with capitalism, and can't wait to turn their backward society around. The development of China as a modern democracy will depend on an active engagement between America and the Chinese people, and will be a benefit to both.

While misdeeds of corporate leadership have surely hurt us, the recovery of our public image will be swift because of the manner in which we will respond to this crisis of trust. The problem is more of an ethical crisis than a permeation of greed. We've had greed for many centuries, and most counties smaller than ours operate on a system of bribes, with Mexico and India as good examples. Frankly, we have no choice but to fix this trust problem, since investors will stay on the sideline if we don't.

The cuban people have trade with other nations, but they live in the early part of the last century, thanks to Fidel. When he goes, Cuba will finally have a REAL revolution